Alan Wake Remastered

Alan Wake Remastered is a remake of the psychological thriller from studio Remedy Entertainment, originally released in 2010, which tells the story of a writer suffering from creative block and insomnia who retreats with his wife to the mountain town of Bright Falls. After his wife disappears, Alan discovers he has found himself in the middle of a terrifying scenario he unknowingly wrote himself, and must fight beings possessed by darkness using a combination of flashlight and gunfire — a mechanic that was innovative on original release and still defines the game's identity and its distinctive approach to horror.

On Xbox Series X and S, where the remaster launched in 2021, the game received improved textures, reworked character models, and fully rebuilt lighting, making the dense forests and foggy atmosphere of Bright Falls stand out far better than on the original Xbox 360. The episodic structure with recaps and radio and TV segments has been preserved and still feels like a tribute to the television series that inspired the game, including references to Twin Peaks. Fighting shadows illuminated by a flashlight beam before you can even shoot them remains one of the most imitated horror ideas of its time.

Alan Wake was praised on its first release for its atmosphere, gripping chapter-based storytelling, and unforgettable soundtrack, even though it didn't commercially succeed the way Remedy had hoped. Only with time, and thanks to the remaster and the sequel Alan Wake 2, did the game become a cult favorite and an integral part of the so-called Remedy Connected Universe, also linked to the game Control, with many hints and details making sense only in hindsight. On Xbox Series, it's an ideal way to enjoy the original story before diving into the much larger sequel, and to get to know the character who shaped Remedy's entire distinctive storytelling style.

Why play it: Before diving into the much larger sequel, it's worth getting to know the story that shaped Remedy's distinctive storytelling style — Alan Wake Remastered is the ideal way to do it.